Story:Counterstrike
The second Zeth story. The Republic of Xelass and Coalition of People's Republics go to war. Prologue Water shrouded the black hull of the submarine in a veil of falling water, splashing off the curved steel as it was displaced. The vessel's turret sat gleaming in the sun for a few moments, and then the missile hatches on the forward hull opened up, revealing the tips of their contents- rocket-shaped, white and red, several tonnes of steel and fuel- ICBMs. The first trembled in its holder for a few moments and then shot upwards, releasing a billowing cloud of smoke. The bottom of the rocket motor glowed bright orange as it rose and then dwindled away into a speck in the sky. Each missile bore seven re-entry warheads, each a boosted fission plutonium bomb, with a yield of eight hundred kilotons in optimal conditions. More than enough to destroy even the largest cities of Aiston. Another of the missiles followed it into the upper atmosphere, and another, shooting through the tenuous gas at the edge of the sky. And then an interceptor missile hit each in a small explosion- a few kilos of high explosive. A nuclear device is a fragile thing. Only under certain conditions can a runaway nuclear reaction occur, and the fission fuel within had to be perfectly aligned, the charges had to explode at exactly the right time, and the weapon would be rendered useless should any of these measures fail. Just another chunk of metal falling into the sea. Every missile the CPR fired was intercepted, and each Xelassian one was destroyed too as they cruised through the sky. Years of being terrified by the idea of nuclear holocaust had resulted in ideal protection against such an attack. This war would not be won through the release of the power of the atom, but rather by the dogged perseverance of Zeth and the lethal weapons they bore. Chapter One Verr hadn't expected to be thrown into a war, but here he was. He sat on the turret of a a VT37 as it drove onwards along the asphalt, its weight through the tracks causing the black road surface to split and warp beneath it. Once the whole armoured column had passed along this way, it would be impassable to civilian vehicles, which was a good thing considering where they were heading. The tank produced two noises- the gentle roar of its engines, and the high-pitched squeaking of the wheels on the tracks. It was the squeaking that an enemy would hear first. The tank sat three others on its turret and there were three crewmen inside. A seventy-tonne, 9.1m long vehicle, it was certainly larger than any of the standard-template CPR tanks and packed more firepower to boot. Its main weapon was a 130mm rifled cannon, capable of firing armour-piercing, HEAT, SQUASH, and fragmentation shells. In the modern age, a hit was a kill, for all the armour a tank could have- the VT37 had 68cm between the outside world and the vehicle's interior. It was designed to be sealable in case of NBC hazards, and people could live inside one for weeks if the area was too toxic to enter. Not that you would want to- the inside of the tank was cramped, dirty, foul-smelling and unpleasantly damp. Tank crews generally refused to stay in their vehicles for more than a few hours, so it was only natural that they brought reserve crews along with them. It also enabled a night-shift, as two groups could sleep on the tank as the other drove it. The column was formed of both the tanks and a large number of V20s, as APCs. A number of self-propelled guns took up the rear of the formation. Drones flew overhead, scanning the ground and sky for any trace of hostile activity, guided missiles ready to strike. And it was these drones that first detected the enemy forces moving along that very same road, thousands of infantryzeth and a number of vehicles, supported from above by a wing of helicopter gunships. The drones reported their discovery instantly. The Xelassian column ground to a stop and then fanned out to receive the enemy. Missile pods were readied, and the self-propelled howitzers began to fire. Each artillery shell was packed with shot and high explosive they crashed into the enemy ranks and tore them to pieces, leaving Zeth bodies and parts strewn across the broken asphalt. The CPR light vehicles were not immune, either- shellls hitting them ripped their roofs and engines apart, while the high-velocity shot penetrated windows to reach soft flesh inside. Over the course of a few seconds, five thousand scarlet-armoured Zeth had been killed, between the wrecks of their support vehicles. Only the helicopters remained. They hovered above the corpses, rotors thudding against the air, and scanned the horizon. Several kilometres ahead, they detected the warm glow of the Xelassian column, yellow on the thermal cameras against the blue environment. The drones fired their missiles. The flaming, mangled wrecks of the helicopters sank downwards and smashed into the groudn, releasing streams of burning fuel onto the ground. A few minutes later, the ruins of the craft were passed by a long column of tanks and APCs, heading further into CPR territory. ---- "Even without nuclear weapons, satellites, or any presence in space, the CPR still presents a considerable threat. Having conscripted the soldiers of the Kassic Empire, they outnumber our army by at least an order of magnitude! It is necessary that we begin a mass recruitment drive and begin exploiting our advantages in the sea and the air. The quicker we can get this done, the better." There were murmurings of assent from around the Parliament house. Another member stood. "Perhaps mass recruitment is not far enough! Conscription of able-bodied Zeth all around the nation would leave us with an army significantly larger than theirs. Of course, those in vital jobs would be left, and arms manufacture stepped up." Others murmured in support. "All members, please sit for the minister of war's announcement." The speaker's voice carried loudly throughout the room. A short, ugly Zeth stood up behind his desk. All went quiet. It was well known that this Zeth, Minister Audon Kavash, was the most powerful man in the Republic. "Gentlemen," he began, in a weaselly voice, "I assume that none of you are familiar with Project Gentle Saviour?" He waited a few moments, but no-one spoke. "Good. If any of you had, then something would have been extremely wrong. I shall not tell you the Project details- only that we must not penetrate far into the CPR. No additional recruitment will be required." There were astounded mutterings, but the Minister silenced them with a wave of his hand. "This war shall be over very soon." Chapter Two On the XS Undaunted, a Trenz-class carrier, a wing of FB-31 VTOL bombers prepared for take-off, jets blasting out streams of hot air that obscured vision through them into a blurry mess. They whined loudly, and the flight deck was abuzz with the noise of forty aircraft firing up for takeoff. There were fighters, too- the FT-10 Jump Jet, not new but well proven in its abilities. They would accompany the bombers and counter any enemy planes which might have been seeking to interrupt their mission, which was to destroy the coastal port of Svallgrat and so prevent the CPR's naval power from dominating the seas. Even now, missions were preparing to destroy twelve other ports around the continent. Rear-Admiral Hask knew that he was not alone in wondering just what the Minister was up to. The campaign seemed to be one of pre-emptive counter-attacks, acting offensively to disable the CPR's offensive ability but not actually striking at its cities or its people, except on the very borders. It was as if they were trying to hem the enemy in, despite the fact that attrition would only result in disaster. There had to be some kind of plan going on. The Republic had unchallenged dominance in space, as well as a great (and soon to be overwhelming) advantage in the air and on the sea. Only if a ground war occurred would the communists have a chance of winning a single battle. And that was something Xelassians would never get themselves into. In this age of every casualty counting, a single death which could be blamed on poor strategy would be a public relations disaster. Hask, in consultation with various generals and air-marshals, had come to the conclusion that this war would be months, if not years, long. The Xelassian reluctance to engage in total war, bombing or sacking cities, would prevent them from establishing good footholds even if they did reach and capture the area by force concentration. It was accepted that citizens of the CPR had been brainwashed by their government and would resist relief by the Republic. He watched the planes take off on their mission. They soared upwards into the blue, cloudless sky, and shot away to destroy a port and ensure naval superiority. Epilogue "Operation Gentle Saviour has begun, sir." "Very good." The Minister sat back, smiling, and steepling his hands together. "They won't even know what hit them." Everything would go as planned. Category:Articles by User:Holbenilord